Beach Families,

There will be no school today due to the PAT Teacher's strike. Please monitor communications sent directly from PPS with updates as this will be the primary communication source. Beach is a meal distribution site with pick-up today between 11:30-1:00 at the cafeteria entrance by the playground. The building is closed for all other business.

As we head into a new month and evolving seasons, I find myself reflective of what has been accomplished by our team already this year and focused on the momentum that is building as we learn about and connect with our students over time.

This past month I have personally learned a lot, and know there is much more to learn. From my earliest conversations to today, I am hearing many shared goals and hopes for how school will support each of our students in being affirmed, confident, prepared, and finding joy in learning. A clear sentiment has also emerged about feeling the loss of celebration and tradition after multiple years navigating important safety measures and pauses on how we come together.

As a school, we are committed and energized by the ability to rebuild and re-imagine our school experiences and opportunities that bring us together, in community. We are actively working to design school specific events as a staff and through partnership with other organizations, such as the BCU. Our actions will be guided by the commitment to inclusivity and being mindful of how our decisions contribute to a sense of belonging and learning.

I am hopeful and confident that what we will create will expand and honor the spirit of our shared goals for each of our students. No matter the day of the year, this is what we are always seeking to accomplish.

We look forward to sharing more and appreciating the contributions of ideas for what brings us together!

- Kelli

Hello Friends of Beach Gardens,

Harrison Park, which transitioned from a K-8 to a middle school this fall, recently held a school-wide vote for a new mascot. According to Principal Leah Dickey, these first few months as a middle school have been pivotal for students as they navigate the new exciting normal and establish an identity as a school and community. Picking a mascot has been an important part of that journey.

Principal Phu Dao is many things to the students and staff of Roseway Heights Middle School: mentor, role model, champion, friend. Ask anyone who has learned from and worked with him and they will tell you that he has dedicated his entire career to advocating for students, families, and educators. And now he’s being honored for that dedication.

Courageous Conversation, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that works with individuals and institutions to address racial disparities through sustained, fruitful dialogue, has named Principal Dao this year’s recipient of the Dr. Charles Hopson Racial Equity Principal Leadership Award. 

Bird watching, Lego robotics, gardening, mindful art, coding, running and walking, the high-stakes world of self-governance. It’s all in a morning’s work for the students of Skyline K-8, where every Wednesday begins with participation in one of the school’s many C.A.S. clubs.

We need our community and PAT’s bargaining team to recognize that we are not unwilling to accept their proposal: we are unable. Even the proposal we have made will require at least $45 million in structural budget cuts over the next three years.